A study to determine the material to be included in a reference book for welders and fabricators

File(s)
Date
2003Author
Will, Jon
Publisher
University of Wisconsin--Stout
Department
Vocational and Technical Education Program
Advisor(s)
Galloy, Michael
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In many industries, workers often require reference materials to help them perform their
jobs more effectively and efficiently. With 23 years of experience working as a welder and fabricator, the researcher has learned that welders and fabricators in industry find themselves in the same situation. At this time there is no all-inclusive general reference book in publication for the average welder or fabricator that deals specifically with the reference material, subject matter, and data needed to support the welding and fabrication trade. The purpose of this study is to verify the lack of an all-inclusive reference guide for welders and fabricators, and to identify and rank in importance the specific content areas that deal with the trade and could be incorporated into a general welding reference book. A review of literature showed that although there are many reference books available to welders and fabricators, no single book contains all of the information necessary for them to perform their jobs in the most effective and efficient manner. A formal survey of a representative sample of people in welding training and in the trade was conducted to identify what they thought should be included in an all-inclusive welding reference book. The population surveyed were: welders and fabricators, fabrication supervisors, and welding engineers at six welding and fabrication industries in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin metropolitan area; the students enrolled in the summer 2003 Welding Program at Chippewa Valley Technical College and their instructor; and 30 welding instructors at the other 15 Wisconsin Technical Colleges. The study found that 92 percent of those surveyed thought it was important to include as main content areas: layout and fabrication hints, steel specifications, electrode identification and specifications, conversion tables, and mathematical formulas. The study also found that 79 percent believed that the 19 subtopics on the survey were important or somewhat important. The demographic data indicates that the survey population has enough years of experience, 11.9 per person, to make their input on the topics relevant to the study. From the results of the research it is concluded that there is a need for an all-inclusive general welding reference book for welders and fabricators and that all of the topics in the survey are important to the respondents and should be incorporated into the book.
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/41137Type
Thesis
Description
Plan B